Camillo Bazzoni Movies

In this period drama set in Venice in the 18th century, Cornelia (Chiara Muti) is a countess who is soon to be married. Her parents have sent her away to the family's summer home in the country, in hopes of keeping quiet the fact that Cornelia is pregnant after a brief affair with a man other than her fiancé. Cornelia's parents hire a local peasant girl, Rosa (Stefania Rocca), to keep an eye on Cornelia; as it turns out, she's also pregnant, and soon the two women realize they have far more in common than they would have imagined at first. They also discover Cornelia's family has plans for her that aren't as benign as she's been led to believe, and together Cornelia and Rosa make plans to win their freedom. Rosa e Cornelia was adapted from a play by Remo Binosi. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this picaresque period adventure comedy, the roguish almost-gentleman Paolo (Paolo Hendel) of 1832 Naples accompanies his younger friend, Duke Ottavio (David Riondino) to the southern part of Italy. At the time, Italy was a hodge-podge of tiny nations, dukedoms, and principalities which were often run by some other nation, such as France or the Austro-Hungarian emperor. Also sweeping the yet-to-be-unified nation was a revolutionary fervor for democracy and unification. At the same time, the forces of tradition were working very hard to suppress these ideas. These movements give rise to some of the dangers the two men face with grace and nonchalance, as they travel through the undeveloped (some might even say uncivilized) regions of Southern Italy. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In 1978, Italian politics were thrown into turmoil when the Christian Democratic president Aldo Moro was executed. This gripping political drama is based on American journalist Robert Katz's non-fiction book Days of Wrath and documents the convoluted chain of events that lead to Moro's death. Moro was the first politico to bring his country's political factions together in 40 years. His ordeal begins shortly after he is elected. He is en route to church with his five body guards when they are ambushed by radical communist terrorists, the Red Brigade. They quickly execute the body guards and spirit Moro to a hidden "people's prison' where he is interrogated. Neither Moro's Christian Democrats nor the newly reinstated Communists will deal or in any way acknowledge the Red Brigade. They do however engage in a massive search for the missing Moro. But the search is poorly organized and ineffectual. Meanwhile Moro is allowed to send letters to the government. He suggests that the Vatican be called in to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the terrorists, but the Vatican refuses. Instead, they make a formal plea for Moro's unconditional freedom. The government does little or nothing to help the president and Moro realizes that the organization he helped create has abandoned him. In desperation, he becomes sharply critical of the government that continues to stall while the Red Brigade becomes increasingly frustrated and impatient. Eventually they decide to kill Moro and later stuff his body in a red Renault which they parked between the Christian Democrat and the Communist headquarters. The Moro Affair or Il Caso Moro as it was known in Italy, was extremely popular in it's native country, but it also sparked considerable controversy for as the case unfolds, nagging doubts and holes arise that infer that perhaps the government had more of a hand in the assassination than the Red Brigade. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal is based on Le Deux Vite di Mattia Pascal, one of Luigi Pirandello's many stories concerning the transitory nature of the intangibles "Truth" and "Identity" Marcello Mastrioanni is a downtrodden average man, treated like trash by his fiancee, scorned by his associates, and cheated out of his inheritance by contemptuous relatives. The dispirited Mastrioanni heads to Monte Carlo, where he accrues a fortune. He also assumes the identity of a less fortunate gambler who has committed suicide. The "new" Mastrioanni is treated with a dignity and respect that overwhelms him--and nearly kills him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This enjoyable parody of classic fairytales about kingdoms and despotic kings is set in the year 1000 and stars Italy's Ugo Tognazzi in top form as Bertoldo, a crafty peasant who has to outwit the king (not necessarily a difficult job) and others in order to stay afloat and alive. Joining him for awhile is Fra Cipolla (Alberto Sordi), a fake priest out to fleece his flock whenever the opportunity presents itself. Among the many comic episodes in the film is one in which Fra Cipolla and Bertoldo, and little Bertoldino (Bertoldo's son) hide some gold coins in a donkey's stomach and then sell the beast -- now with a certain amount of indigestion -- to a peasant family who are amazed at the end results. The king condemns Bertoldo to death by hanging for this trickery, but at the same time -- and much to his undoing -- he agrees to let Bertoldo choose the tree. That is not an easy task. Months later, Bertoldo arrives back at the king's castle carrying a little potted plant, the tree of his choice, requesting that they let it grow. The talents of Sordi, Tognazzi, and Lello Arena as the put-upon king, carry the full two hours of this royal spoof. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

When Francesca (Nicole García), a magistrate in a local justice department, starts to investigate the suicide of a young woman she has no idea her own husband was indirectly involved. Once she learns more about the case, her marriage is placed in jeopardy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The English-language title and the Anglo-Saxon name of the director (Alex Burks) of this film would tend to lead one to surmise that A Long Ride From Hell is a Hollywood western. But wait! That terrain looks awfully Italian, and it so happens that Alex Burks is really Camillo Bazzoni. You'll probably catch onto the film's country of origin the moment Steve "Hercules" Reeves rides into view; Reeves (who co-wrote the screenplay) plays a rancher framed on a train-robbery charge. "Long" and "Hell" are the operative words here. Originally titled Vivo per la Tua Morte, this sleep-inducer was Steve Reeves' cinematic swan song. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gravel-voiced Aldo Ray stars as Sgt. Cloadec in the Italian-Spanish Suicide Commandos. As you've probably already guessed, the film takes place during World War 2. Cloadec is one of the many Allied guerilla fighters assigned to destroy an enemy airport deep within occupied territory. Pamela Tudor is on hand to do the Lili Palmer bit as a resistance fighter. Based on a novel by Piet Legay, Suicide Commandos was also released in the US as Man Without Mercy (and guess who that man is!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide